When Kalki Koechlin made her debut playing the role of a modern day Chandramukhi in Anurag Kashyap's Dev. D three years back, people sat up and took notice.

With her gori skin and intense roles, Kalki has managed to carve a niche for herself in but admits that she still feels nervous when she faces the camera. The actress spoke to CS about her roles, directors and finding her place in Bollywood:

Meaty roles get me going
I enjoy all kinds of roles, including light-hearted stuff. But when any actor gets a role that they can really sink their teeth into, then it's hard to let them pass by. I find it exciting to do some research on the character. The more intense the role it is, the more meatier the character is and any actor will find it exciting to do.


The urban girl
Everyone has a USP, in terms of the way they look. It can also be a limitation as people can get labeled into categories like sexy or innocent. My gori looks, it gives me a certain urban look. I believe in being realistic. It would look strange if I play a village girl from somewhere. So within those set limits, one has to keep pushing. It's yin and yang.

Director tales
I've worked with a couple of directors and I have realised that you become a new actor with every director. Anurag (Kashyap) is extremely spontaneous and will ask you to make changes in the lines if you strongly feel about it.

Dibakar and Zoya on the other hand know the beat completely. Their script is bound six months in advance and they believe in workshops for the actors. Ayaan is spontaneous too but he comes from a more commercial scene.


Challenges galore
I feel I'm at the beginning, because there is so much more to learn. There are some things that are constantly on my challenge list. I am glad that my Hindi's got better. I'm still so nervous in front of the camera and ask a thousand questions.

During the film, I struggle sometimes, feel lost but after it's over, I feel grateful that I did it. I have a long way to go and lots to prove. While people have the tendency to stereotype you, I believe in being versatile.